This dataset includes over 100 thousands businesses holding Federal Firearms Licenses (FFL) with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE, or ATF), a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice.
The bureau issues FFLs to firearms sellers, and conducts firearms licensee inspections.
Each business is registered with license number, business name, business location, mailing address, telephone, etc.
Dataset Information
Subject
Licenses and Disclosure
Jurisdiction
Federal
Data Provider
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF)
Source
atf.gov
Dataset Details
A Federal Firearms License (FFL) is a license in the United States that enables an individual or a company to engage in a business pertaining to the manufacture or importation of firearms and ammunition, or the interstate and intrastate sale of firearms.
The Federal Firearms License (FFL) was established to implement the Gun Control Act of 1968.
The FFL is issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF), a domestic law enforcement agency within the United States Department of Justice.
FFL license types include the followings:
01 - Dealer in Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices (Includes Gunsmiths)
02 - Pawnbroker in Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices
03 - Collector of Curios and Relics
06 - Manufacturer of Ammunition for Firearms
07 - Manufacturer of Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices
08 - Importer of Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices
09 - Dealer in Destructive Devices
10 - Manufacturer of Destructive Devices
11 - Importer of Destructive Devices
This dataset includes all current and previous Federal Firearms Licenses (FFLs).
The information for each licensee includes license number, licensee name, business name, business address, mailing address, telephone, etc.
The Freedom of Information Act allows any person to request information about organizations, businesses, investigations, historical events, incidents, groups, or deceased persons.
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) records can be requested through both FOIA and the Privacy Act.
Statistics
The most popular FFL license type is Dealer in Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices (Includes Gunsmiths) (67.69%),
followed by Manufacturer of Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices (17.88%), Pawnbroker in Firearms Other Than Destructive Devices (9.18%), and Manufacturer of Ammunition for Firearms (2.62%).
The top three states with the largest numbers of licensees are Texas(10.19%), Florida(5.26%), and Pennsylvania(3.91%),
followed by North Carolina(3.70%), Ohio(3.70%), California(3.50%), Missouri(3.27%), Michigan(3.14%), Arizona(3.03%), and Georgia(3.01%).
The most popular city of all licensees is Houston (0.54%). The other major cities include
Phoenix (0.39%), San Antonio (0.30%), Springfield (0.29%), Jacksonville (0.29%), Tucson (0.27%), Miami (0.24%), Colorado Springs (0.24%), Columbus (0.23%), Dallas (0.23%), Mesa (0.23%), Las Vegas(0.23%).
The total number of licencees have a slight decrease in 2020 and 2021, largely due to the pandemic.
In 2022, the number gets back the same level as the pre-pandemic years.
We expect to see more businesses being licensed in the upcoming years.